User blog:Cbkguy/A Beekeeper's Purpose
Chapter 1 - A Path to the Unknown Ryan woke up to find himself in a strange new world. As his eyes adjusted to the glimmering, almost heavenly light, he took in his surroundings. He could hear birds chirping, bees buzzing. To his left, a Diamond Bee and a Tabby Bee played tug-of-war over a star-shaped object. A chill breeze rushed past with an unnatural force. Despite his anxiety, it somehow felt… peaceful. What was this place? Why was he here? Ryan strolled around aimlessly. After a while, an unnatural-looking gateway blocked his path. Unlike the others he had come across on his walk, this one seemed unsettling. It was ancient and mystical, radiating some sort of creepy aura. There was a dim purple glow coming from it that was strangely alluring; its perfect crystal-like structure so mesmerizing; various gemstones dotted symmetrically among its frame; faint voices echoing in his mind, almost as if it wanted him to go in- A hand on his shoulder jolted Ryan back to reality. “What are you doing here? This is a dangerous place to be, young one.” Ryan spun around to see a man standing behind him. “Who are you?” Ryan asked, surprised. “I am Joshua of the DiamondMiner clan. I’m here to destroy Science Bear.” “Destroy Science Bear? Why would you want to do that?” “Science Bear has been terrorizing this land for hundreds of years. He’s a madbear bent on destruction. He has taken us for his inhumane experiments, destroyed our cities… There are even rumors that he is making a doomsday weapon. This gate leads to one of his many shields preventing us from tracking him,” the mysterious man explained. “Really? That’s terrible!” Ryan exclaimed. “Why would he do such a thing?” “It’s anyone’s guess, honestly. Nobody really knows why. We all just have to deal with it,” Joshua replied with a sigh. “But he can be stopped, right?” “We don’t really know yet, but we can hope,” Joshua said. “That’s our clan’s mission. To defeat Science Bear and stop his reign over this world.” Joshua thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up with an idea. “You can help us, perhaps. Join us in our journey to vanquish this evil being from the mountain!” Joshua announced triumphantly. Ryan was reluctant at first, but didn't want to leave innocent people to suffer. Eventually, he agreed. After all, the people there could help him get a sense of this world. Little did Ryan know, this decision would change his life forever. Chapter 2 - 10 Years Later It was finally time. After years of preparing, the DiamondMiner clan was going to face Science Bear head-on. Crowds cheered as Ryan, Joshua, and their team of 6 marched off to Science Bear’s secret lair. Ryan could see people in the crowd saluting for them. As he walked, Ryan reflected on his past. Throughout his journey, Ryan had made some close bonds. Gumdrop, his kind but slightly fearful friend. LuckyFlower, who always managed to remain calm and logical in the most treacherous situations. Jesse, the one that proposed the brightest of ideas, and Arzunimc, a strong, fearless warrior with a bad temper. Lastly, there was Joshua, the clan's leader. He was a jack-of-all-trades, excelling in everything from finding the group's way to reacting quickly to various occurrences. Ryan recalled all the good times they had together, the many missions they went on with each other. Gumdrop always trying to stay behind, offering to "keep a lookout." Jesse saving the team's butt repeatedly. Now, their quest to defeat Science Bear would come to an end. A few days ago, LuckyFlower discovered the location of Science Bear’s base by intercepting a message sent to his followers. Other members of the clan also tracked down some of his associates and captured them. However, none of them had given up any useful information. The clan had eliminated many of Science Bear’s fortresses and storages, considerably weakening him up to this point. Now, as the team ascended the mountain where Science Bear resided, they felt as if nothing could stand in their way. They were determined. Joshua led the group to the entrance of Science Bear’s lair. It was a tower, spiraling upwards into the thick blanket of clouds so far it seemed almost infinite. There was a sort of evil vibe to it; continuous flashes of lightning lit up the blood-red sky above them. They were in the endgame now. The door echoed as it creaked open, and they cautiously advanced into the building. The inside was barren, with only a few objects lying here and there. The walls were an ominous gray, and there was nothing lighting it up except for a handful of dim torches. "I'm scared," Gumdrop whined. They all remained silent; no one called him out for being a crybaby - they were all nervous, too. The group continued up the staircase, to the very top of the tower- where they were met by a sight none of them could have ever imagined. Science Bear was standing there, but something was off about him. He wasn’t a bear- he was a robot. Ryan and his team didn’t know what was happening. Was this a decoy? Had they fallen into a trap? They glanced around frantically, expecting something to jump out at them. “Was he a robot all along?” LuckyFlower questioned. “Oh no,” Gumdrop said frightfully. “IT’S A TRAP!” Arzunimc bellowed. Suddenly, chains leaped violently from the walls, restraining their entire squad. Ryan struggled and wrestled with all of his might, but alas, he could not escape. Everyone appeared to be getting the same results. After recovering from the shock, they began formulating a plan. “I have a flaming scythe, maybe I can melt the chains,” Jesse proposed. “I’ll try to use this special honey to dissolve them,” LuckyFlower said. “What are we going to do!?” Gumdrop worried. “Let’s not get too panicked her-“ They all went silent when the robot began to speak. Ryan couldn’t believe it. Neither could anybody else, gaping open-mouthed at the diabolical sound. It wasn’t the fact that it was talking that was unbelievable. Neither was what it was saying. It was its voice - the voice of Joshua. Joshua laughed as he sprung free from his bonds. Dropping to the floor and deactivating the robot in one swift motion, he stood ''menacingly ''in front of Ryan and the group. Ryan had never felt so much hate in his life. His eyes burned with the intensity of nine thousand suns. He wanted to strangle Joshua. “JOSHUA!?” Jesse exclaimed. “HOW COULD YOU!” Arzunimc yelled. “All this time, and you haven’t realized. Imbeciles,” Joshua remarked. “You never noticed how nobody we fought ever mentioned Science Bear. How the people – my enemies – that we captured honestly had no idea who he was. None of you have ever seen a city destroyed by Science Bear – because he doesn’t exist.” “IMPOSSIBLE! HE ATTACKED US!” Ryan cried. “All staged by me,” Joshua smirked. “What were those fortresses we destroyed, then?” Luckyflower interrogated. “Also my enemies,” Joshua said casually. “Now that they’re gone, thanks to you, I can begin my plan for WORLD DOMINATION!” “NO! I WON’T LET YOU!” Jesse yelled. “And how will you do that? You’ll be dead.” With that, Joshua disappeared in a blink of blue light. He was a hologram. A few moments later, the entire tower exploded. There was a deafening boom. A blinding flash of white light. Then... there was nothing. Chapter 3 - A New Awakening Ryan woke up to find himself in a strange new world. As his eyes adjusted to the dim rays of moonlight, a feeling of déjà vu washed over him. Somehow, he felt as if he had been in this place before. Where was he? Then, he remembered everything. His clan. The tower. And Joshua. Oh, how he wanted to pummel that punk. His friends were gone, but somehow, he was still alive. He was back at the beginning. Seven years ago, when he first arrived in this universe. It was at this moment he knew: he was destined to save the mountain. Looking around him, he saw everything through a new lens. An egg laying in the corner, waiting to be cared for. Fields of flowers galore. Powerful items. Something in him ticked. He realized what he should have done from the beginning. He saw the hidden strength this world had to offer, and he called upon it. For hours on end, he worked relentlessly. Grinding, questing, fighting – he did it all. He trained his swarm of bees to the absolute limit. He got event bees and mythics, gifted bees and mutations. He stacked up on so many items, his backpack was, by the laws of physics, a black hole. He decked himself out in the most powerful gear known to the mountain. He struck down the most sinister bosses to ever exist. Every night, he bathed in a luxurious pool of tropical drink and ate the delicacy of Stump Snail pie. His crown-shaped halo of amulets shined so vividly that any mob who dared bestow its gaze upon him was disintegrated in an instant. Ryan could not be more prepared. Following in his own footsteps, he strode valiantly to the tower where his friends lost their lives. Chapter 4 - Return Where Science Bear’s lair once stood was a massive crater the size of a small city. Ryan ensured that he was on the lookout for clues to where Joshua might be. Strewn around in a large vicinity was enormous amounts of debris, flung out in various directions by the explosion. The majority of it was chunks of stone originating from the tower, however, Ryan was able to spot a scrap piece of metal from Joshua’s robot next to a burned-down tree. Moving closer to the center of the crater, Ryan saw something that made his heart drop in his chest. It was Gumdrop’s sword – the hilt of it anyways. The blade had been either blown off or completely destroyed in the explosion. Wanting to honor his fallen friend, Ryan took the artifact and placed it in his already-stuffed backpack. Upon reaching the center of the crater, Ryan noticed a gateway. However, this one was unlike any others he had encountered before. It was completely black – the frame, the inside, everything. It appeared man-made, constructed out of a dark, crystal material, and was plaguing the area surrounding it with darkness. Nevertheless, its most unusual feature was that instead of having an arch-like shape like a door, it was aligned vertically with the ground, similar to a trapdoor. “This must be where Joshua went,” Ryan thought. Though Ryan should have been scared, not knowing what it would lead to, he was not. He was eager, in fact. Finally, he had a lead. If it turned out to be false, he could always just try again. He had a chance to get even with Joshua. He would avenge his team. He would make Joshua suffer. Before he lost his courage and bailed, Ryan leaped into the gateway… only to have an invisible plastic lid block him. Chapter 5 - MULTIKILL It was all going according to plan. After years of faking, treachery, and lies, step one was complete at last: take out the greatest threats. Now, unless he screwed something up, nothing could go wrong. Step two of his plan was now in effect. He knew he couldn’t face the entire clan on his own at once – he wasn’t stupid. Before he left, he had laid everything out. All he had to do was steal the resources he needed for his quest, make it out without being caught, and world domination was one step closer. For the whole time that the elite team was hunting down the so-called “Science Bear,” Joshua had been in the clan’s base, hidden in a secret room only he knew of, controlling his holographic self. It wouldn’t be long before the rest of the clan discovered what happened to the team, so he had to act fast. Making sure no one was in the vicinity, Joshua snuck out of his hiding spot and crept to the storage room, the tip-tap sound of his boots on the concrete floor just barely audible. He hastily grabbed what he required, shoved it in his backpack, and headed out, only to bump into a guard on patrol duty. “Joshua, sir! What are you doing here, sir!? I thought you were with the others defeating Science Bear, sir!” It was Galaxy, one of the newer recruits of the clan. Joshua ignored him. However, as he rounded the corner, he was met by another guard. Two more followed. Everyone was hearing about Joshua’s “return,” and the news was spreading like wildfire. Joshua made a bolt for the exit. “Where are you going, sir!?” “Is Science Bear no more, sir!?” “Why are you in such a hurry, sir!?” Luckily for Joshua, he was able to lose them in the crowd that was getting larger by the second. None of them noticed him run outside, as he had pulled up his hood and put on a sweet-looking pair of sunglasses – a genius disguise capable of fooling any of their simple minds. As he escaped from the base, their calls grew faint until he heard only the sound of a gentle breeze rustling the trees. Joshua continued in the same direction for a full hour when he came across a marking. This unusual drawing which appeared to be a mushroom was of his making, and he knew what it signified. He slammed his hand firmly on a button of his trusty remote - the same one he had used to control his hologram - pointing it triumphantly toward the sky. In an instant, a signal was sent to every DiamondMiner base, where hysterical clan members were just receiving news of the team’s fate. One moment, they were trying to believe what they were hearing. The next, they couldn’t hear at all. They couldn’t see, either. Neither could they move. In fact, at that very moment, every single DiamondMiner base or member in existence, old or new, important or small, did not exist anymore, as they were consumed by an immense fireball that made the tower explosion look like a fireworks display. Hundreds of DiamondMiner bases were vaporized as if they were made of paper. Tens of thousands of members disintegrated in a split second. Joshua had single-handedly sent the DiamondMiner clan to the history books. Category:Blog posts Category:2020SE